Shaping Science with Nick Dirks

Azra Raza, MD, is a world leading cancer physician scientist and Professor of Medicine at Columbia University, where she directs the Myelodysplastic Syndrome Center. For more than four decades, she has been at the forefront of research into blood cancers, with a particular focus on detecting cancer at its very earliest stages. She is also the author of the acclaimed book The First Cell, which challenges how we think about cancer research, treatment, and prevention. Dr. Raza is widely respected not only for her scientific contributions, but for her powerful advocacy for a more humane, patient centered approach to cancer.

00:00 Intro

06:15 The Unique Challenges of Blood Cancers

13:21 The Importance of Early Diagnosis: Finding “The First Cell”

19:42 A Patient-Centered Approach: The Human Cost of Cancer Treatment

24:13 A Waste of Financial and Intellectual Resources: The Current State of CancerResearch

29:15 Exploring New Technologies in Cancer Research: AI, Multi-omics, SpatialBiology, Nanotechnology

35:59 Developing “Implantable Intelligence” to Detect Cancer

40:34 The Future of Healthcare and the Role of AI

 Jonathan Metlz, MD, PhD, joins Nick Dirks to discuss his educational journey that combined the sciences with the humanities, firearm culture in the American Heartland, and the growing skepticism of institutional expertise. Prof. Metzl is a physician, psychiatrist, sociologist and public intellectual whose scholarship and commentary explore the intersections of health, race, identity and violence in America. He currently holds the Frederick B. Rentschler II Professorship in Sociology and Psychiatry and directs the Department of Medicine, Health, and Society at Vanderbilt University. His path-breaking books – such as Dying of Whiteness and What We’ve Become – challenge conventional public-health narratives about gun violence, mental illness and race. His work asks what it means to be healthy, safe and free in a deeply divided society.    

00:00 Intro
02:11 Combining Studies in Poetic Theory, American Culture, and Medicine
08:50 How the Politics of Racial Resentment Is Killing America's Heartland
13:49 The Dynamics of Gun Culture in the Midwest
20:41 When Gun Violence Hits Close to Home
25:10 Changing Culture
29:30 Striving for Better Public Health
34:56 The Cultural Disjunctor Around Guns, Politics, and Expertise
41:30 Individual Freedom vs the Collective Good

 Sebastian Mallaby,  author, journalist, and the Paul A. Volcker Senior Fellow for International Economics at the Council on Foreign Relations, joins Nick Dirks to discuss his latest book, The Infinity Machine, a fascinating chronicle of Demis Hassabis and the rise of DeepMind. 

Also read from Sebastian Mallaby: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/13/opinion/china-ai-america-chipmakers.html

00:00 Intro 
01:40 The Intellectual Challenges of Covering AI 
07:23 Covering One of the Most Important People in the History of Humanity 
10:29 The Early Life of Demis Hassabis 
17:21 When Computer Science Meets Neuroscience 
22:12 Shifting from Video Games to Artificial Intelligence 
25:57 The Potential of Neural Networks and Reinforcement Learning 
32:13 Why Video Games and ‘Go’ are So Useful in the Development of AI Systems 
39:25 Two Schools in AI: Deep Learning vs Reinforcement Learning 
46:27 When Will Superintelligence Come?

Steven Johnson joins Nick Dirks to discuss his journey from majoring in semiotics to becoming a bestselling author widely known for his perspectives on the intersection of science, technology, and society. The author of 13 acclaimed books including Everything Bad Is Good for You, and Where Good Ideas Come From – and the host of the Emmy-winning PBS/BBC series How We Got to Now, Steven Johnson is currently the Editorial Director at Google Labs, where he helped develop the new AI-powered writing and research tool, NotebookLM.   

00:00 Intro 
02:00  From Semiotics Major to Best Selling Author Covering Technology and Culture 
08:05 Establishing the First Online-Only Magazine: The East-Coast ‘Wired’ 
10:55 Interface Culture: Understanding the Impact of Technology on Society 
15:34 Self-Organizing Systems and Decentralized Networks Post 9/11 
17:42 Transformative Ideas: The Intersection of Science, Technology, History, and Social Change 
23:10 New Tools for Writing and Research 
25:53 [AD BREAK] 
26:26 LLMs: What is Means When Computers Have Mastered Language 
33:40 To Google and Beyond: The Development of NotebookLM 
40:36 From Dungeons & Dragons to Fan Fiction: The Vast Applications of NotebookLM 
44:27 Strengthening Interdisciplinary Scientific Research Across the Globe with NotebookLM 

Britney Schmidt, PhD, joins Nick Dirks to discuss what we can learn from earth’s harshest environments, what the Thwaites Glacier tells us about rising sea levels, and why she believes Europa deserves more attention than Mars. Dr. Britney Schmidt is a planetary scientist, glaciologist, and astrobiologist whose groundbreaking work explores the hidden oceans beneath ice worlds – both on Earth and beyond. Currently Associate Professor at Cornell University and Principal Investigator of the Planetary Habitability and Technology Lab, Dr. Schmidt leads major NASA- and NSF-funded projects, including the development of robotic submersibles to study Earth’s subglacial lakes and Europa's potential ocean, helping us understand habitability in the solar system and resilience in the face of climate change. In 2024, Prof. Schmidt was named a Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists Laurate, which is administered by the Academy in collaboration with the Blavatnik Family Foundation.

00:00 Intro 02:15 From the Deserts of Arizona to the Ice Sheets of Antarctica 05:42 ICEFIN: Robotic Submersibles Studying Ice at the Bottom of the World 11:11 Measuring Ice Melt in the Underbelly 18:00 Interdisciplinary Research: Planetary Science Meets Physics and Engineering 25:26 Aliens on Our Own Planet: Observations from 530 Meters Beneath the Ice Shelf 31:24 Studying the Pace and Physics of Ice Melt 39:17 Rising Sea Levels: Correcting the Problems and Treating the Symptoms 43:38 The Impact of Funding Cuts for Scientific Research 47:22 Why Europa Deserves More Attention than Mars

Ron Gonen, MBA, joins Nick Dirks to discuss the environmental benefits of the circular economy, how the military industrial complex fueled the rise of our consumer economy, and why focusing on taxes can be effective when convincing skeptics to be more environmentally conscious. Ron Gonen is an environmental entrepreneur, investor, and author who is the Founder and CEO of Closed Loop Partners, a New York-based investment firm building the circular economy. A former Deputy Commissioner of Sanitation in New York City, Gonen has long been a leader in sustainable innovation, public-private partnerships, and zero-waste initiatives. He is the author of “The Waste-Free World: How the Circular Economy Will Take Less, Make More, and Save the Planet”.    This episode of Shaping Science was made possible with the generous support of Tata Sons. For more info, visit: nyas.org/ideas-insights/podcasts/  00:00 Intro 02:08 Pushing for Economic and Environmental Sustainability in NYC 10:00 From Circular Economy to Linear Economy back to Circular Economy 14:14 The Lasting Impact of the Military Industrial Complex 17:41 The Lightbulb and the Principle of Obsolescence 21:58 "There’s a great future in plastics..." But there are also some concerns... 28:00 Sustainable Ways to Source and Produce Plastic 31:08 Food Waste: The Largest Part of the Waste Stream 39:28 Fashion: The Last Frontier of the Costly Consumer Culture 44:15 Closing the Loop and “Extended Producer Responsibility”

Neurobiologist Stuart Firestein and playwright Jake Brasch join Nick Dirks on Shaping Science to discuss “The Reservoir,” a new Off-Broadway play that touches on universal themes, including aging, family, recovery and memory.  

Stuart Firestein, PhD, a neurobiologist at Columbia University, also advises the Ensemble Studio Theatre/Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Science & Technology Project, who are co-producers of the play. 

Jake Brasch is a recent graduate of The Julliard School and holds a BFA from NYU Tisch. This is his first production staged in New York. 

For more info, visit: nyas.org/ideas-insights/podcasts/  

00:00 Intro

05:24 Alcoholism, Freewill, and the Pressures of Addiction

08:22 Combing the Comedic and the Tragic

15:08 The Biological Character of Memory Loss

19:44 The Perspective of a Theatergoing Neurobiologist

25:25 Parallels between Memory Loss from Alcoholism and Alzheimer's

28:12 Mental Exercises to Combat Memory Loss

34:13 Physical Exercises to Combat Memory Loss

37:59 Consciousness and Memory

41:18 How Life Experiences and Memory Connect

46:15 The Role of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Science & Technology Project

Chandrika Tandon joins Nick Dirks on Shaping Science to discuss how perseverance and determination have fueled every aspect of her life, from her childhood in India, to working her way up to the top of the corporate world as a partner at McKinsey, to becoming a visionary philanthropist with a passion for music and education. The Chair the Board of the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, which bears her name following a landmark $100 million gift, Chandrika Tandon also serves on the Board of Governors at The New York Academy of Sciences. 

This episode of Shaping Science was made possible with the generous support of Tata Sons.

For more info, visit: ⁠nyas.org/ideas-insights/podcasts⁠

00:00 Intro 
02:53 Going on a Hunger Strike to Attend Business School 
08:46 Navigating Warn-torn Lebanon in the 1970s 
11:50 Arriving in NYC in the Winter Wearing a Sari and Sandles 
15:48 Improving Operations at Service Institutions 
22:37 Transitioning into Higher Education 
26:45 Understanding the Limitations and Challenges of an Academic Institution 
30:46 Vastly Improving Engineering Education in NYC 
38:00 Chandrika’s “Crisis of Spirit” and Music as Emotional Empowerment 
44:30 Finding a Life of Impact and Meaning in the Tech Era  

Ian Bogost, PhD, joins Nick Dirks in the tenth episode of Shaping Science to discuss the intersection of philosophy and technology, how gaming compares to previous moral panics, and new approaches to integrating AI in higher education. Prof. Bogost is a philosopher, author, game designer, and professor whose work explores the intersection of technology, media, and culture. He is currently Barbara and David Thomas Distinguished Professor at Washington University in St. Louis. 

This episode of Shaping Science was made possible with the generous support of Tata Sons.

For more info, visit: ⁠nyas.org/ideas-insights/podcasts⁠

00:00 Intro 
02:05 The Intersection of Philosophy, Computation, History, Culture, and Game Design 
06:33 What Should You Be Taught? And What Should You Learn? 
11:43 The Role of a ‘Bricoler’ in the Dot-Com Era  
14:28 Exploring the Various Applications of Gaming 
18:47 The Impact of Gaming of Attention 
25:25 Gaming, Gambling, Media Effects, and Moral Panics in Culture 
28:00 Technology and Philosophy: The Utility and Possibilities of Gaming 
32:30 The Role of AI in Higher Education 
40:37 A New Approach to Integrating AI 
45:50 Pending Book: “The Small Stuff” 

Nicolas Langlitz, MD, PhD, joins Nick Dirks in the ninth episode of Shaping Science to discuss medical anthropology, the anti-psychiatric movement, and the therapeutic potential of LSD. Prof. Langlitz is a German-born anthropologist and historian of science, currently serving as a Professor of Anthropology at The New School for Social Research., where he also oversees the Psychedelic Humanities Lab at The New School. He holds both an M.D. and a Ph.D., reflecting his interdisciplinary expertise spanning medicine, anthropology, life sciences, and the history of science. His dissertation evolved into the book Neuropsychedelia: The Revival of Hallucinogen Research since the Decade of the Brain (University of California Press, 2012), an ethnographic study of psychedelic research laboratories in Switzerland and California 

This episode of Shaping Science was made possible with the generous support of Tata Sons.

For more info, visit: ⁠nyas.org/ideas-insights/podcasts⁠

00:00 Intro 
08:48 The Psychological Depth of Psychedelics Research   
13:01 From Beatniks and Hippies to the Psychedelic Renaissance   
25:16 The Medical Benefits of Psychedelics Research   
32:46 The Role of the FDA and Congress in Psychedelics Research 
39:48 The Politics of Treating PTSD with Psychedelics